Modern History of the Conflict in Balochistan

Reporter: Shawn ForbesProducer: Aziz BalochReport for Balochi TV & Radio Online Vancouver, Canada Over 30 million Baloch people live around the world today; in the Middle East, East Africa, India, Europe, Asia and North America. The Baloch people take great pride in their national identity, homeland, language and culture. Throughout Medieval and early modern history the Balochi tribes heavily influenced the political landscape of Balochistan and the surrounding regions. During the decline of the Mughal Empire, in the mid 17th century the numerous tribes of Balochistan assembled a loose confederation and ousted the Mughal rulers. By 1666 this confederation evolved into the Khanate of Kalat and became the foundation of a unified Baloch Nation State. For nearly 300 years Balochistan operated as a sovereign and independent state. In the late-19th century the British took advantage of ongoing internal power struggles amongst Balochi tribes to establish colonial rule in the region. It was during British Colonial rule that Northern & Western Balochistan was amputated by foreign hands. In 1893 British representatives negotiated borders with Afghanistan and Iran. The resulting “Durand Line” and “Goldsmith Line” borders were drawn with complete disregard for the indigenous inhabitants and historic ethnic territories. In 1932, at Jacobabad, Balochistan, Baloch leaders held the first successful World Baloch conference. Chaired by an idealistic chief, Nawab Yousuf Aziz Magasi, who had previously been exiled, then later jailed soon after his return; due to his vision of restoring a free and sovereign Baloch nation. Under the guidance of Nawab Yousuf Aziz Magasi, he and his committed team members laid the foundation for the Baloch national independence movement. The participants wanted to uphold the Baloch native language, cultural identity, and to carry on the rich tradition of Balochi values which have been denied them by the occupying states. In early 1947 the British withdrew from the Indian Subcontinent leaving the Balochistan region to be administered by the Princely State of Kalat. On August 11th 1947 the Sovereign Nation of Balochistan declared complete independence and autonomy. Soon after partitioning of British India, the newly created Pakistani State immediately launched a military campaign to annex Balochistan. The then Khan of Kalat, Mir Ahmad Yar Khan was arrested and strong-armed into signing abdication documents relinquishing the Balochistan region to Pakistan. Despite numerous armed rebellions against Pakistan, the grim reality is that since the mid-19th century Balochistan has remained under the armed occupation of totalitarian regimes. Under Iranian & Pakistani occupation the Indigenous inhabitants of Balochistan face perpetual oppression, inequality, injustice, deprivation of meaningful education, political exclusion, enforced abductions and extrajudicial killings. Balochistan is not only rich in natural resources, but is situated along an invaluable strategic corridor, the Straits of Hormuz. It is a region by which the Pakistani & Iranian regimes depend upon both economically and militarily. Unfortunately the occupier state’s interests do not extend to developing the region’s economy or fulfilling a government’s obligation to provide the basic infrastructures necessary for acceptable living conditions in the region. Instead the occupiers have embarked on a savage crusade to plunder the region and slaughter the inhabitants. The Baloch nation and its leaders are demanding self-determination and independence from Pakistan—the country in which the largest segment of Balochistan is located. The Charter of the United Nations guarantees to all peoples this prerogative, along with the rights of economic development, social and cultural identity, and freedom of language, and religion. The people are to be masters of their own land, and of their own destiny. The Baloch independence movement, along with the Sarmachar (freedom fighters), are fervently devoted to the struggle for freedom from the tyrannical regimes of Pakistan and Iran. Today, the Baloch national identity, which has thrived in the region for millennia, is in the hands of the Baloch people. The only means by which the national liberation movement may progress—and by which a viable model for a sovereign Balochistan may emerge—is through unity between Baloch leaders and the Sarmachar (freedom fighters) for the advancement of their common cause. Should the Baloch leadership refrain from the tribal feuding and regional in-fighting of the 19th century the Occupational State will have no chance of success. The sinister agents of occupational state forces have and will attempt to sow internal discord amongst the Baloch, creating a condition of conflict among Baloch liberation movements; a condition favorable only to the agendas of the Occupational State Forces. When all factions advocating the Baloch struggle for freedom work in perfect harmony they form an invincible front against the tyranny and oppression imposed by the Occupational State. - Shawn Forbes